Conventionally, circuit interrupters are expediently massed at a central location, particularly in a domestic establishment, with at least one circuit interrupter of average capacity of--say--15 amperes (in North America) governing each circuit.
Such capacity may be excessive and the protection afforded thereby may hence be inadequate, however, for a load with a critical power rating below that capacity and such load may be damaged or may create damage if its rating is exceeded for an appreciable length of time. For such loads which are not individually fused, adequate protection may be obtained by the use of a cable, equipped as contemplated by the present invention with its own individual circuit interrupter.
For the sake of clarity it should be understood that the term "circuit interrupter" is herein applied to any device which provides a conductive link in an electrical circuit designed to "open" under overload thus interrupting the circuit. While various types of circuit interrupters are available, that particularly visualized by the invention is restorable (or resettable) to "closed" position thus re-constituting the circuit when the overload has been removed or cured. This type of circuit interrupter is generally identified as a circuit breaker whereas the common non-resettable type is known as a fuse which burns out or "blows" under overload.
The use of power cables which are "fused" as distinguished from those equipped with circuit breakers is not new; there being much prior art relating thereto. These suffer, however, from one major disadvantage, amongst others, in that the lack of a replacement fuse or the proper repair materials in an emergency may prompt someone to resort to evasive means for restoring a power cable to functionality thereby depriving its associated load of essential protection--more or less permanently, since it is a common human tendency to leave an emergency repair as a permanent repair thereby totally defeating the intent and primary function of the fused power cable.